


Glasses

by Ariels_Lament



Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: Gen, I've been looking forward to tags, Noct upholds his best friendly duties, One day Gladio and Ignis will have more than the stray line to remind you they are indeed there, Prompto's crush is the cutest thing ever
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-03-22
Updated: 2017-03-25
Packaged: 2018-10-09 09:09:18
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 13,962
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10408773
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ariels_Lament/pseuds/Ariels_Lament
Summary: Noctis takes a deep breath to calm himself, because if he's going to have to stick his finger in Prompto's eye, it's probably best that he isn't angry when he does it.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> So like...this fic is complete over at ffdotnet, and I've never crossposted anything before, so I feel kinda weird about it, but I followed a friend, and this place seems pretty nifty and more active, and I actually like this one...so now I'm posting it? So apologies to those who've already seen it, and thanks for your time to the ones who haven't?

 

"Ow, ow, ow, ow, ow!"

"Stop squirming."

"I can't help it, man, it fucking hurts!"

"Well I can't take it out, if you don't. Stop. _Moving_."

To emphasize his point, Noctis grasps the blond's face firmly between his hands. Now that it isn't thrashing about anymore, he can actually see what's going on. Prompto's left eye is blood red and watering like a broken water main. The prince has no idea how exactly he's supposed to find and remove the stuck contact lens from his best friend's eye, and he's kind of uncomfortable with pulling their faces so close together in an attempt to figure it out, but it's what Ignis had instructed him to do before he'd rushed off to the Regalia to grab Prompto's contact solution or eye drops or whatever. Gladio, being the sadistic bastard he is, just stands off to the side and enjoys the show.

"I have no idea what I'm doing," Noct huffs.

"Yeah, you're telling me," Prompto agrees entirely too readily, his voice strangled by pain.

The brunet bristles. "Hey, I can have Gladio take care of it if you want me to. Can't promise you'll have an eye left to see from, though."

"Ngh! Really not sure I'll still have an eye with you helping. Where's Ignis when you need him?"

"If you want to wait for him to get back from the car, be my guest."

"Well, you're not exactly doing anything to help, Noct, so I'll probably still be here writhing in pain when he gets back! So either do something, or let me go!"

Noctis is actually very close to doing something. That thing being to slide his fingers down the blond's face and wring his scrawny neck, but he imagines it might be bad form to kill off the one person he had personally invited to join his wedding party, so he refrains. He takes a deep breath to calm himself, because if he's going to have to stick his finger in Prompto's eye, it's probably best that he isn't angry when he does it. He tilts the blond's head into the light so that he can see, but the eyelid is jammed shut.

"Open your eye, Prompto."

"I _can't_ ," the other man grits out. He's gripping the sleeves of Noct's shirt, and the prince thinks that Prompto is trying to shove him away, now. He knows his friend is in pain, but it kind of pisses him off anyways, since he's just trying to uphold his best friend-ly duties. He doesn't often get the chance to show the guys what they mean to him. They're all usually too busy trying to save _his_ royal ass. Gladio's words, not his.

"Stop being a baby and just open your goddamn eye," he snaps.

Yeah. _Exactly_ what they mean to him.

"Hey, Noct," Prompto begins, and his tone is mocking. "Ya ever get soap or something in your eye and it stings so bad you can't open it? Well this is kind of like that. Just a lot fucking worse!"

They're practically snarling at each other by this point, and it doesn't help that when Gladio finally speaks up, it's only to tell them to get a room.

"Shut up!" They both snap at him.

"You know what? I'm sick of this," Noctis says, and he shoves Prompto off the back of the rock they'd been perched on. He doesn't think the two of them have ever wrestled before, and the blond turns out to be a lot stronger than he'd anticipated, but he's also half blind and in pain. So after a few moments of struggling, Noct finally manages to use his knees to pin his friend's arms to his sides. He leans over until he can pry open Prompto's eye with the thumb and forefinger of one of his hands.

"Ow! What the hell are you doing?" Prompto yells. He's trying to wiggle his way out from underneath him, but Noct just tightens his hold.

"I don't fucking know!" Noct shouts back, but it's mostly just in retaliation for Prompto screaming in his ear just now.

Prompto is fighting Noct the whole way, and finally he just grabs hold of the blond's upper eyelid and tugs it upwards. Now, Prompto is calling the prince all sorts of colorful names that he probably shouldn't be able to get away with, but Noctis has always hated being treated like something special when, as far as he's concerned, he's really not. So he ignores it.

"Got it," he says at last, his voice much less triumphant than it ought to be. He leans back until he's sitting on Prompto's stomach and peers down at the little blob of goo that has caused them both so much grief. Squishing it between his fingers very nearly makes him gag. "Gross..."

Soon enough, though, his ass is shoved into the dirt as Prompto breaks himself free.

"Hey, is that any way to thank the guy who's just saved your eye?"

Prompto swipes the lens from his fingertip and waves him away. "Yeah, yeah, my hero, knight in shining armor, blah, blah, blah whatever.

"Hmph." So ungrateful.

"You missed it, Iggy. They put on a pretty good show. Broke my heart, though. I was waiting for them to kiss."

Noctis looks up in time to see Gladio pass Prompto's camera over to a confused looking Ignis.

"See for yourself."

The brunet chunks a small toiletry bag at the group's youngest member ("Ouch! _Ignis!_ "), and takes the camera in hand. His eyebrows steadily rise as he scrolls through the taller man's photos.

"Oh, dear," he says at last, and when he lifts his gaze from the screen to smirk at the prince, Noct comes to the decision that all three of these assholes are fired. "Let's take care that compromising photos such as these not fall into the hands of someone like Vyv, shall we?"

Gladio roars out a laugh, and Noct is just about to tell them both to go to hell when the most pitiful whine of distress he's ever heard emanates from the ground next to him.

"Something wrong?" He asks.

Prompto's face is buried in the crook of one arm as he holds out his rogue contact lens. Noct has no desire to touch it again, but if there's something wrong with it, he can't tell by the looks of it.

"I'll say it again: Something wrong?"

Prompto lets out another high pitched whine before dramatically exclaiming, "It's ripped, man! Stupid, giant bird with it's stupid, giant wings flapping stupid, giant clouds of air and dirt into my eyes!" He's holding the lens in front of his face, now, almost as if in reverence. Not quite finished with his ranting, he chokes out, "Rest in peace, little guy. I did my best! Gah! Why did it have to be you, though?"

Gladio looks unimpressed, Ignis is actually rolling his eyes, and Noct isn't sure whether to comfort his friend or smack him over the head for his antics. He settles for a cross between teasing and comforting—he thinks—pokes his finger into the side of the blond's face, and says, "Can't you just get another one?"

"Noooooooooooo," Prompto moans as he slaps away Noct's hand. "This was my last pair."

"Why didn't you mention it before now?" Gladio asks. "It kind of sounds like an important thing to bring up."

Prompto sighs. "We were kind of in a hurry to leave Lestallum when I noticed it, and I didn't want to hold you guys back just because I have shitty genes."

Noct can't help it. He takes this moment to smirk up at his advisor. The older brunet clears his throat.

"No offense, Ignis."

"Mm, none taken."

Ha! Liar.

Ignis is silent for a moment, then says, "It's quite irresponsible not to have a backup of some sort. Is there nothing you have that can tide you over until we make it back into town?"

Prompto looks as though he has an answer to the question that he really doesn't want to give, but Noct is already planning to make him to wear an eyepatch for the duration of the trip. With the gun and the boots, he'll look just like a pirate. There's a bruise on his rib cage that says it serves the blond right. Then again, knowing Prompto, he'd probably enjoy it way too much.

Noct looks over and sees that his friend is having a similar thought. He holds a hand in front of his blind eye and removes it a couple of times before frowning and deflating completely. "In the side pocket of my camera case," he reveals dully.

Noct notices the black case hurtling towards him just in time to keep it from smacking into his face. He scowls up at a smirking Gladio, who just shrugs and replies, "Your best friend, your best problem."

"Thanks, man," Prompto says, his voice just as gloomy as before. "Love you, too."

"Ah, cheer up, buddy." Noct elbows the blond lightly as he rummages through the case. "We'll get you back to town and taken care of before you know i—whoa. You are _way_ more blind than Specs is."

The world is distorted so violently through the lenses of Prompto's glasses that it makes Noct dizzy and turns his stomach. He pulls them away from his face and has to blink a few times to clear away the strain from behind his eye sockets. "Ugh," is all he can say as he holds the frames out to the man next to him.

"Heh, I know, right?" Prompto's voice isn't quite it's usual chipper timbre, but it's the most cheery he's sounded since before they'd been dive bombed by that giant ass bird. "I'm completely useless without corrective lenses. Hang on a sec. I need to take out this other one."

The prince watches in fascination and disgust, thanking the stars that he doesn't have the same so called shitty genes. He doesn't think he has it in him to do that every day. He'd probably just stick with glasses like Ignis.

"Dude. You leering at me like that? Is _kin_ da creepy."

Noct scoffs, amused, and dangles the glasses in front of Prompto's face. "Whatever," he says. "You can't even see if I'm looking at you or not."

"No, but I can _feel_ it. And that is _so_ much worse."

Prompto finally takes the frames from him, and Noct rises to his feet. Prompto doesn't put them on straight away, though. He just frowns down at them as though wearing them is the absolute last thing he wants to do.

"Hurry up and unblind yourself so we can go," Noct says, nudging his friend's thigh with his boot.

"Hey, you guys think you can just lead my blind self back to the car?"

Noctis digs his toe in more forcefully this time.

"Ouch! Okay, okay, fine! Look. _Done_. I'm _go_ ing."

 


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Being stuck in small places for days at a time with the people you love most makes everyone kinda bitchy until the trip is over.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Unimportant background info because I feel I should put a thing here:
> 
> Short chapter is short, because originally this was meant to be a one shot. But Bryler happened. So it got posted early. Then she happened again. And then I was just trying to keep up a posting schedule. Eventually, it just got out of hand. :/

"So where do you think the nearest optometrist is from here?" Prompto asks as he settles into his usual spot in the passenger seat.

"I dunno," Noct responds. He adjusts the driver's seat back to his own preferred settings and secures his seat belt with a snap. Slapping his hands onto the steering wheel, he meets Ignis' gaze in the rear view mirror. "Specs?"

Ignis raises an eyebrow almost as if he finds the question exasperating. "I believe you are in possession of a map, Highness. Do feel free to use it."

"I am," Noct contests, his eyes never straying from the other man's reflected expression. "You're always telling me to use the sources I have available to me. I have no idea where we'd find an optometrist. But I'll bet you've taken notice of them all along. Just in case."

Gladio elbows the brunet next to him. "Can't argue with that, Iggy. You may as well just let this one go."

"I suppose," Ignis relents, still sounding reluctant. Noct presses his lips together in an effort not to spout off his irritation. He knows that Ignis is just trying to help him be more self reliant and comfortable with making decisions on his own, but damn it. Sometimes it feels like the older man is always on his case about the most minuscule and unimportant things. It gets really, really annoying, really, really quickly.

"Hammerhead is only a few hours' drive from here," the strategist says at last. "It is likely Prompto could schedule an appointment by end of day."

"Hammerhead?" Prompto chirps.

Noctis finally tears his eyes from the mirror to find that the blond is no longer slouching and sullen, but practically on the edge of his seat, a wide grin taking over his face.

"You mean we get to go to Hammerhead? _Not_ because the Regalia needs repairs? _And_ I don't even have to beg?"

Noct can't help but smile back. "That's right," he says, "Hammerhead it is, then."

He starts the engine and pulls up to the end of the parking lot they're in before once again aiming an expectant look toward the back seat via the rear view mirror. Ignis narrows his eyes in return because Noct is being an ass on purpose, and they both know it. He counters the scowl with the biggest shit eating grin he can muster and knows he's won when a long suffering sigh sounds in his ears.

"Just go left."

Ignis' words are clipped, and the prince is completely satisfied that his longest friend is just as aggravated at him for his stubborn defiance as Noct is with his advisor's unrelenting insistence.

"Yup," Noct says, and he gives the car some gas.

"Wait! Stop the car!"

Tires squeal against pavement, and the Regalia lurches so violently that Noct knows his head would have slammed into the windshield had he not been strapped in. He feels Ignis collide into his own back, but he _hears_ Gladio crunch into Prompto's seat. _'Oh, gods, please don't have broken my dad's car,'_ he thinks to himself. Besides the Engine Blade he'd been gifted with on his birthday four years ago, it's all he really has left to remember his old man by. And he really does love the damn thing.

Noct's heart is pounding a thousand beats per second as he tries to figure out what exactly just happened, his first thought being that he had almost driven the group right into oncoming traffic. The road is completely clear, however, and Gladio is swearing up a storm at Prompto, which must mean that the blond is okay, too. He's incapable of staying still for long so he _never_ buckles up. How he didn't fly through the windshield is mind boggling.

Looking over, he sees his friend sprawled out as if braced for impact. One hand grips the door handle while the other pushes against the dash alongside one knee. His other foot pushes against the floorboard. Prompto's face holds a look of abject terror, his glasses knocked askew from the sudden halt, and Gladio is _still_ yelling at him.

"Not Hammerhead!" Prompto cries out. It's enough even to silence Gladio.

"You have _got_ to be fucking kidding me."

Or maybe not.

Prompto doesn't really seem to notice, though. He turns to Noct with wild, panic-stricken eyes, glasses still perched ever so precariously on the tip of his nose. It's a very different look on him, and the sight of those frames keeps throwing Noct off.

"Not Hammerhead," he says again. "Anywhere but Hammerhead. I can't go to Hammerhead!"

By now Noct's heart has almost calmed back down to its normal rhythm. He stares at his hysterical friend in confusion. After a few moments, he blinks, and he thinks he finally understands what's going on.

"Goddammit, Prompto! You can't yell at me to stop the fucking car like that just because you're afraid Cindy will see you in your stupid fucking glasses!"

"I know, right?" The blond says back, wide eyed and fearful as ever. "They _are_ stupid, aren't they? I can't let her see me like this!"

It's the second time that day Noctis has wanted to strangle his friend, and it isn't even noon yet. It may just be a record. Instead, he growls and knocks his head against the steering wheel a couple of times.

"Ignis! Where else can we go? That isn't in Hammerhead?"

Noct is pretty impressed with how calm Ignis sounds when he finally replies, "Galdin would probably be our next closest bet."

"Let's go there, then! Got it, Noct? We're going to Galdin! Whoo hoo, fishin' time! Am I right, buddy?"

"We'll have to camp another night," Ignis warns. "We won't make it there until tomorrow evening at the earliest."

Head still resting against the wheel, Noct turns his face so that he can watch his idiot best friend continue to make an ass of himself.

"Camping's fine," Prompto says. "Camping's cool. In fact, I _love_ camping. Have I _ever_ mentioned how much I love camping? Because I should probably start doing that, like, _right now_. It's just so...so great. Isn't that right, big guy?"

He turns in his seat to grin up at Gladio, but Gladio only continues to glare daggers at him. The bodyguard ignores Prompto's attempts at persuasion and turns to the other man sitting in the back seat.

"Everything's ten times more expensive in Galdin, though."

Ignis hums his agreement. "True. We may not have the funds to cover travel, accommodations, _and_ the exam and lenses. What do you think, Noct?"

Prompto's desperate eyes fly to Noct who stares back without a word.

"Lestallum!" Prompto squeaks out, obviously floundering for something he says to resonate with one of his friends. "We're heading back that way anyways, aren't we? No sense in stopping for little ol' me. Let's just gun it and go!"

Noct releases a sigh and pushes himself back up into a proper sitting position. Prompto's eyes shine with so much hope that he actually feels bad when he says, "Still gotta sleep somewhere tonight, though. I don't think camping again is going to cut it. Gotta vote for Hammerhead, here."

"So it has been decreed," Ignis remarks. His tone is final.

Prompto's face crumbles, and he slumps down in his seat as though Noct has just ordered his execution.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompto's day gets even worse. But so does Noct's, really.

 "Hey, uh, Noct? Think you could raise the top or something?"

It's the first thing Prompto has said for hours despite all of Noctis' intermittent attempts to cajole him into conversation. He notices that the further they drive into Hammerhead, the lower his friend sinks into the Regalia, until at last, only the gelled tips of his spiky, blond hair could possibly be visible from above the door.

"It's fine," Noct says, unable to hold back an amused smile. "Look. The garage doesn't even look like it's open."

The large doors have all been rolled shut, and there's no sign of either Cid lounged outside of it or his energetic granddaughter tinkering with the vehicles parked in the lot. He's never seen it abandoned like this before. It feels wrong.

Prompto doesn't seem to be comforted by the prince's words, however, and the look of horror has returned to his face with a vengeance. He looks over to Noctis and, voice uncharacteristically low, says, "That means she could be _anywhere_ , man!"

"I don't know why you're so worried," the brunet chastises. "They don't even look bad. She'll probably think, I dunno, that they're cute or something."

"But I don't _want_ to be _cute_!" Prompto exclaims, rising up and flailing dramatically. It only takes him a second to realize that doing so has made him completely visible to passersby, and he drops back down out of sight. Noct just shakes his head.

Gladio scoffs from his seat in the back. "Better get used to it," he says. "With freckles like that, it's probably the best you can hope for."

Prompto groans, but doesn't seem to have a retort for that.

"Well," Noctis says as the motel comes into view. "Here we are."

The Regalia hasn't even come to a complete standstill before the blond vaults out of the it.

"For gods' sake, Prompto, use the bloody door!"

Noct is only a little bit taken aback by Ignis' outburst before he turns his attention back to Prompto. He's already halfway down the parking lot when the prince calls out, "Hey, do you know where you're going?"

"Nope! But Takka does!"

"You got money?"

"Covered!" He pats his back pocket.

"Is it enough?"

The blond pauses at the edge of the building and scans his surroundings before looking back at Noctis. "Man, I don't know! I still can't figure out this currency. I'll call if I need you to bail me out." And with that he disappears around the corner.

"Ain't that the truth," Noct says to nobody in particular. He doesn't think any of them have truly figured the money thing out. Some things seem so reasonably priced, others so cheap, and still others are so outlandishly expensive he can't even begin to wrap his mind around it. Personally, Noct would expect to pay more for a room than a meal, but it rarely ever seemed to play out that way this side of the Crown City.

"So." The prince throws his arm over the back of his seat and turns to look at the other two. "What's the bet that he runs into her on the way?"

Ignis is looking up something on his phone and doesn't seem to be particularly interested, but Gladio's attention is focused across the parking lot where Prompto had just disappeared. He smiles. Noct follows his line of sight, but sees nothing of interest. There's just a small grocery and a building he thinks may be a library across the street. When he turns back, the older man catches his eye and says, "I dunno. The punk might actually luck out for once."

Noct raises his eyebrows in disbelief. "You really think?"

Gladio shrugs, the smallest hint of amusement gleaming in his eyes. "Fifty gil," he challenges. "What do you say, Your Highness?"

The prince considers it for a moment. Something about it feels like a trap, but he's not about to chicken out in front of his shield over a little bit of money.

"You're on."

Noct holds out his fist, and Gladio bumps his own into it. He really doesn't think Prompto is that lucky, but the way Gladio's smile twists into something painfully smug almost makes him second guess himself. Almost.

It's about ten minutes later when Noct remembers that his friend is kind of a bastard. They're both sitting back against the hood of the Regalia, and Ignis has just exited the lobby and begun to pass out room keys.

"Why, if it isn't my favorite customers."

Noctis freezes, then blinks, and when he looks over, Cindy is in the motel lot walking towards them. The paper grocery sack settled against her hip is all he needs to see to make sense of Gladio's unexpectedly positive gamble.

That cheating son of a bitch.

Noct shoots him the most irritated look he can come up with, but the older man's expression is wholly unapologetic. In the end, Gladio is the first to push himself up off the car and verbally acknowledge their new guest's presence.

"You say that," he counters playfully, "but we all know what you really mean is: if it isn't your favorite car."

It gets a chuckle out of the mechanic, and she comes to a stop in front of the trio. "Well, you know," she says with a shrug.

The fact that she doesn't even deny it brings a smile to Noct's face—he really likes that about her—and it cracks him up even more the way that her longing gaze passes right through the chiseled, macho presence in front of her to the sleek curves of the vehicle behind him. Gladio seems to be just as amused. He shakes his head and steps aside, presumably so that she can ogle the Regalia unobstructed. Noct knows Gladio likes to attempt to flirt with Cindy just to rile Prompto up, but somehow she always manages to deflect it as though it's nothing. He's beginning to believe she actually doesn't realize what the two of them are doing.

Prompto has got his work cut out for him, that's for sure.

"So technically speakin', the garage is closed for the day," the blonde begins, and she's still staring down the car in a manner similar to the way Prompto often stares at _her_ , "but if you boys need somethin' just say the word! I'll sneak 'er on open and Paw Paw never has to know any different."

That really does make Noctis laugh. It's another thing that he likes about her. "Nah, we're all good this time," he tells her.

His response is enough to tear Cindy's focus from the Regalia to him. "No?" She asks, and she sounds somewhat disappointed. "Y'sure?"

"I'm afraid so," Ignis finally chimes in. His voice dons the same amused tone shared by his companions. "Our business in Hammerhead is decidedly more personal in nature this time around."

"You don't say." She looks from Gladio to Noct to Ignis and then blinks, almost as if confused. "That why your photographer friend is missin'? Prompto?"

"Yeah, actually," Noct answers, surprised. Prompto is going to be gushing to them for weeks.

"Everything okay?"

Gladio opens his mouth, but the prince doesn't trust him and elbows him in the side before anything can come out of it. Normally, Noct would be the first to hop aboard the tease-the-hell-out-of-Prompto train, and he'll admit to it, but for some unfathomable reason, this is really important to his best friend. In five years, Noct doesn't think he's seen Prompto sit still and quiet for a _combined_ three hours, but today he did it all at once on the ride here. He can joke about the whole thing, but there's no way Noct could sell him out.

"He's fine," Noct says, sending a warning look up to his bodyguard. Gladio shrugs but says nothing. When the prince turns back to Cindy, she doesn't look convinced. "He just had something he needed to take care of, and Hammerhead was close by. We'll probably be out of here tomorrow."

"So, soon, huh? That's too bad." Then, in an unexpected move, she jabs her index finger into Noct's shoulder. Her voice is more teasing than threatening when she says, "Well, whatever you do, Prince, don't even think about leavin' before I can give the old girl a once over, y'hear?" But he holds his hands up in surrender, anyways.

From his left, Ignis' smiling voice replies, "I assure you, Cindy, you have our word."

"Good." The blonde steps back, seemingly satisfied with the response, before looking down at her grocery bag with a thoughtful expression. "Whadday'all say to havin' dinner with me and Paw Paw? I'm sure he'd like to see you fellas."

"Would he?" Noctis asks before he can stop himself. He finds that hard to believe with the way Cid always seems to hound them every time they're around.

"Yeah, I don't exactly get the impression that your old man gets a case of the warm fuzzies when we show up, either," Gladio agrees.

Cindy almost seems sheepish when she replies, "Look... I know he comes off as an ornery old coot at the best of times, and heaven help me if he ever heard me tellin' you boys this, but he really does care." Her eyes meet Noct's before shifting over to Gladio. "I think it does him some good to see the sons of two of his late best friends still alive and kickin'. So whaddaya say? It'd sure be nice to have the extra company."

That sing song lilt to her voice at the end is far too familiar, though, and Noctis can't help but offer her a shrug and a smile in return. "Free food and the opportunity to stay in our mechanic's good graces? Can't say no to that."

_You're welcome, Prompto_ , he thinks to himself as the exuberant woman shares details with Ignis.

As soon as she vanishes from sight, Gladio nudges Noct in the shoulder. "Time to pay up, Your Royal Loserness."

"What?! No way! You fucking cheated!" He accuses with a glare.

"Can't prove it," Gladio returns with a smirk.

"Besides," Noct continues, faltering a bit as he tries to save face, "he could...still...run into her on the way back."

It's dubious at best, considering the fact that they'd both gone off in completely opposite directions. Gladio is also aware of this and scoffs.

"Even if that _were_ possible, it wasn't the deal," he says before lunging at the prince.

Noct actually feels Gladio's hands brush him before he thinks to phase away, and the other man looks as impressed that he'd managed it as the prince feels. But the look is short lived, and soon enough, he's grabbing for Noctis again. Leave it to Gladio to turn something like this into a training session. Smack dab in the middle of a public motel lot, nonetheless.

He dodges the older man a few more times before he's distracted by the sound of his phone going off. Noct keeps his eye trained on Gladio as he reaches into his pocket, but the split second it takes him to check the screen is all Gladio needs to send him sprawling out on the pavement.

It's a much shorter scuffle than the one he'd had with Prompto that morning—for obvious reasons—and Noct has never been able to successfully grapple with the monster of a man pinning him to the ground, but it doesn't stop him from trying. Before long, though, Gladio lets him free. Noct shoves at him in an attempt to knock him backward, but for all the good it does he may as well have pushed against a brick wall.

He ignores the laughter coming from both of his so called "friends" in search of his phone. He spies it a few feet off to the side. "If you broke it," he warns as he moves towards it.

"Don't worry, Princess," Gladio mocks, brandishing Noct's wallet in front of his face. "I'll be sure to buy you another. With all the money I just won from you."

Noctis swipes his phone from the ground and gives Gladio the finger before turning his back to his two smirking mentors. He touches his free hand to the back of his head and winces. Gods that hurt! He was going to have to think of a way to get the older man back for that.

"What's up?" He says into the phone, still catching his breath. He'd apparently answered the call when Gladio had tackled him. "You need us to bail you out already? I thought it would take longer than twenty minutes."

"Heh, yeah...about that," Prompto begins to answer, but then he derails. "Hey, is everything alright over there?"

"It's fine," Noct responds, leaning against the wall of the motel. "Just Gladio being Gladio."

"Ahhhhh, gotcha," he says back in a knowing tone. The blond happens to be Gladio's _other_ favorite victim for his random rough housing.

"So?" Noct prompts him.

"Right," Prompto picks back up, and he sounds agitated. "So good news and bad news. They can't get me in until tomorrow morning, but the lady at the front desk says they keep a big stock on hand so they don't have to worry about losing deliveries to accidents. So I should at least be able to leave with something. I guess the doctor here is buddies with a guy in Lestallum and can call it in for me to pick up a few months' worth there."

A huff sounds in the prince's ear, followed by, "Man, this sucks."

Noct cringes, because with that news, he suspects that things are about to suck even worse for Prompto. He takes a moment and then tells him, "We've got good news and bad news, too..."

"...Yeah?" Prompto's voice sounds just as tentative.

Noct decides to start off with the good news. "We ran into Cindy, so you should be safe to get back without being spotted."

"Oh?" It's just the one syllable, but it's obvious in his friend's voice just how torn he is between relief and disappointment.

"She asked about you."

"...Really?" He sounds doubtful.

"Mmm hmm. By name even. And hobby."

"Really?" This time it's a little hopeful. "And you guys told her...?"

"That you were off taking care of personal business. She accepted it."

There's a sigh of relief on the other end of the line. "So what's the bad news?"

Noct presses his lips together as he tries to think of the most delicate way to break things to his friend. "The bad news," he begins slowly, "is that you still don't have contacts. And she invited us to have dinner with her and Cid."

There's silence for a few beats. Then:

"Son of a bitch..."

It's the most pitiful thing Noctis thinks he's ever heard.

 


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the part where I confess to shipping Prompto/Cindy like whoa.

Prompto's phone goes off in his pocket again—an actual call from Noct this time, judging by the buzzing rhythm he'd chosen specifically for his friend. He'd turned the volume off ages ago without even looking at the texts he'd been sent. He should probably just shut the damn thing completely off since he doesn't really feel up to dealing with the messages either telling him that he's being ridiculous or taunting him for what he's missing out on. The blond is fully aware of what he's just passed up.

He could be with the guys right now. At Cindy's house. Eating. With Cindy. Food. Most likely prepared by Cindy, as he couldn't really see old man Cid spending much time in the kitchen—much less spending time in the kitchen for _them._ Besides, _everyone_ knows food is so much better when a girl makes it for you. Not that Prompto really has any experience with this outside of his own mom's cooking, but he certainly can't imagine it being anything less than the most amazing thing ever. Especially when that girl happens to be _Cindy._

His phone finally goes still, and he pushes the stupid frames back up the bridge of his nose for what seems like the hundredth time. Gods, he'd forgotten how annoying they were. He's almost afraid that they'll slide right off his nose down into the brush below, and wouldn't he be in some serious trouble then? He can barely see a foot in front of his face without them, so there's absolutely _no_ way he'd be able to get down from the motel roof and root around for them in the poorly hedged shrubs beneath him. It's why he'd declined when Noct suggested he just leave them at the motel.

Prompto knows that more often than not he makes an idiot of himself when he's around her, but he kind of clings to the hope that it's in the same endearing, charming sort of way (he thinks) he does when he's with the guys, rather than an embarrassing, off-putting kind of way. He feels sure he knows which way would come to surface if he tried to blindly stumble his way through dinner. And he wouldn't even get to properly admire the pretty girl who'd gone through the trouble. That might be the worst part.

The phone lets out one final buzz, and Prompto is almost curious enough to check it and see what must be going on that's important enough for Noct to actually leave him a voicemail. In the end, he just slumps over and rests his chin in his palm as he watches the last bit of twilight fade off in the distance. His glasses slip down to the tip of his nose at the movement, and it makes him sigh in irritation.

Whatever. If they want to fall to their doom, that's their own damn business. All they do is remind him of everything about himself he's worked so hard to escape anyways. And it's really hard not to falter even more than he already does when all he can see in the mirror is that sad, lonely, insecure, little fat kid staring back out at him. A lot of the time Prompto doesn't feel any of those things anymore, and it's great! But other times it sneaks up on him, and while he usually just pushes it off to the edge of his mind and ignores it until something happens that makes him forget it's there, it can make him prone to do things like spill his guts to his best friend on a motel rooftop elsewhere.

It's bad enough knowing that Noct actually remembers Prompto from before high school. He doesn't think he could handle if anyone else knew. It still weirds him out a bit when his friend makes an offhand comment about a time before he'd properly introduced himself. Like that one time in the car when they'd been talking about Ignis and Noct had outed Prompto by commenting that he used to wear glasses. Ignis hadn't been surprised by the comment. Apparently, he'd noticed Prompto's contacts supplies but never brought it up because of the obvious efforts the blond went through to hide his need for them.

He kind of wishes that Noct was as observant and respectful of things like that.

Thankfully, as far as Prompto can tell, neither Gladio nor Ignis have any knowledge of the awkward, pitiful mess he'd been that very first time he and Noct had spoken. But he's kind of afraid that they'll catch on and see what he sees, all the things he really is beneath the jokes and the smiles and the false bravado. But he's _really_ afraid Cindy will see through him, though, because he can't imagine much else being less attractive than a guy with absolutely no self confidence who so desperately seeks the approval of others.

Prompto's brooding is interrupted by the clicking open of the door behind him. He freezes, his leg pausing mid swing over the edge of the roof, but there's really only one person he imagines it can be. He's not really sure how long it's been since he ignored the phone call, but he thinks there's been more than enough time for Noct to make it back to warn him if something important actually has come up since he left with Gladio and Ignis. He relaxes and lets his leg resume it's aimless swinging.

"So how was dinner?" He asks dully.

There's a short pause.

"Ain't exactly tried it yet, myself," says a voice that is most _definitely_ not Noct's. It makes Prompto splutter, and he starts so violently that he almost tumbles forward from his perch.

"C-Cindy!?"

And there she stands, only a few feet behind him, radiant as ever even in the dying rays of the sun. Her arms are bare thanks to the tank she's wearing, and while Prompto hadn't thought it possible before now, her face is even prettier when there's no hat present to cast shadows over it.

"Wh-what're you—? I-I d-don't...H-how did you—?"

But then he remembers that she's _not supposed to see him like this_ and, heart hammering, he jerks his head back around to the skyline in front of him.

"Sorry," she says. "Didn't mean ta startle ya."

Prompto responds with a nervous laugh. As always when he's around her, it comes out high pitched and unnatural. It's totally embarrassing, and it makes him die a little on the inside every time he does it.

"The boys said you wasn't feeling too well," she carries on, seemingly completely unaware of his predicament. He hopes that maybe in the low lighting she just hasn't noticed. One capri clad leg pops into his periphery before settling itself next to his own over the ledge. The rest of Cindy follows, and Prompto brings a hand up to fret with the hair on that side of his face. A last ditch effort to conceal the glasses from her view. "Couldn't stand the thought of you havin' to miss out, though, so I thought I'd at least stop by and bring you some supper."

Those words still his hand, and he can't help tilting his head slightly to look over at her. His heart is still rushing in his chest, but the thumping feels a little bit lighter than it had before. That heavy, panicked feeling he'd had when she'd first snuck up on him seems to be slowly giving way to the more giddy, floaty feeling he gets whenever they stop by and the mechanic has some new something-or-other in the works that she'd thought up specially for them.

Why is she so amazing and he so awkward?

"I—You—Really?"

And why can he _still_ not speak to her in anything more than broken fragments?

Cindy either expects it from him by now or doesn't really notice it at all, though, and Prompto can't decide which is worse. She just continues to rummage through the bag on her lap until she pulls out a plastic food container.

"Yeah," she answers. When she hands it over to him, she looks up to the sky with a thoughtful expression. "They were so weird about it, too. Kept tryin' ta talk me out of it before Paw Paw roped 'em all into a game of cards."

"Heh," is all Prompto can force out in return as he reaches for the food. Their fingers touch, and the jolt of nerves he feels at the contact almost sends the container flying over the edge of the roof. Thankfully, she doesn't seem to notice that either.

"Come to think of it," Cindy begins anew, and this time she actually looks at him head on. He knows he's been caught for sure by the way her eyes dart over his face, and he freezes. But her expression never changes, and her words never falter as she continues her one-sided conversation, "they acted kinda funny when I asked about you earlier."

She's still eying him, and Prompto still feels like a dear frozen in an oncoming vehicle's headlights, and he should probably say _something_ before she realizes that she'd rather go back home and talk to someone who can actually hold a proper conversation, but he's kind of terrified and having trouble calling up appropriate words. The other blonde doesn't give up and leave, though. She just takes the lead again.

"Didn't know ya wore glasses."

It's enough to snap Prompto out of his petrified state and make him turn away in embarrassment. He tries to obscure that side of his face with his bangs again. "Yeah," he says back glumly. "I...don't."

He can feel himself go tense as he gears up for...something—he doesn't really even know what exactly—but whatever it is, it never comes. Instead, Cindy elbows him, orders him to eat up, and starts telling him a story about this being her Maw Maw's supposedly legendary fried chickatrice recipe all the while eating her own dinner. It smells amazing. It _looks_ amazing. He imagines it tastes amazing, too, but his stomach is so twisted up into nervous knots he can't quite bring himself to find out.

He's trying to log away everything Cindy is saying for Future Prompto's benefit, but it's a little difficult when he can't wrap his mind around how he hasn't chased her off yet. He's been a sulky ass from the moment he'd put the damn things on that morning, and he knows it. He's been especially poor company to Cindy. He knows that, too. She'd come all this way to bring him dinner because she'd heard he wasn't feeling well, and he's done absolutely nothing to show his gratitude. Yet here she is, still chatting with (to?) Prompto as if nothing was wrong and he wasn't being completely rude.

He's utterly dumbfounded.

"Still not sure if it cheers him up or makes him more depressed when I make it," she says. Then she wipes her mouth and nods down to his untouched meal. "Somethin' wrong? Not quite to your liking?"

"Huh?" Prompto blinks and looks down. "Ah! No! It's fine—amazing, actually—just...a stomach thing. I'll be able to eat it later, though."

Cindy doesn't look convinced. He wants to say something reassuring, but what actually comes out of his mouth is, "Why are you still here?"

Her eyes widen a little and it's hard to tell in the dark, now, but Prompto is pretty sure her cheeks turn pink. "That my cue to go on home and leave you be?" She asks sheepishly.

"What!? No!" He's got his hand on her knee before he even knows he'd had the guts to touch her. He tries not to think about it too much as he desperately backtracks. "That's not it. Poor wording on my part. I'm sorry. Thank you. I just haven't been myself today." Then he pulls his hand from her leg, covers his eyes with it, and groans.

"Is it the glasses?" Cindy asks. Prompto peaks over at her from beneath his hand but says nothing. She nods anyways. "Thought so. Ain't ever seen you with a frown before today. Ain't ever seen you with glasses either. I reckon they remind you of some things you'd rather forget, huh?"

"Yeah..." he says slowly, and he's watching her in awe again, no longer hiding behind his hand. The guys don't understand at all, but Cindy has nailed it point blank in only a few minutes. "How do you—?"

"We all got things we're ashamed of and would rather forget."

She leans back on her hands and stares out at the horizon while Prompto tries to think of how to move on from there. Before he can make a decision, Cindy sighs and climbs to her feet. His heart falls as he comes to the conclusion that he's finally managed to bore her away.

"Come on," she says, and she holds out a hand to help him up. "I wanna show you somethin'."

Prompto eyes her in confusion for a few moments before he finally accepts her offer. The feel of her hand in his is brief, but he savors it all the same.

"Sure. Just let me drop this off in the room."

 


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yup. This was actually the entire point of everything.

"How have I never noticed this place back here before?" Prompto wonders out loud. It's a small house tucked away just outside the expanse of parking lot behind the garage. Cindy smiles at him as she leads the way up a set of wooden steps on the front porch.

"Probably because I'm caught up for once," she tells him. "Nothin' parked back here to obscure the view."

"Huh," he says back, because it's all he can really think to respond with. He's always known she was a hard worker, but with the way she'd always taken the time to welcome the four of them and had never hesitated to pencil them in when the Regalia needed work done, Prompto has never fully appreciated just how busy she must be all the time. Surely, Cid can't _really_ expect her to keep up with all of this on her own? And there's got to be so much more work that goes on behind the scenes. "Ever think about finding someone to help you out?"

"Why? Ya volunteerin'?" Cindy teases, pausing to lean back against the door.

He offers her a sheepish shrug and a wry smile. "More of a tech guy, really," he admits. "Beyond driving, cars are a total mystery to me."

"Oh, I can fix that," she dismisses confidently, and her voice becomes playful when she adds, " _Although_...I reckon it doesn't do much good if yer not actually around ta help."

Prompto thinks he'd really like to change that once they've gotten this whole thing with the crystal and the Empire all lined out. He isn't telling her that, though, so he responds with an equally lighthearted, "Yeah, that also makes me pretty useless."

Things go quiet for a moment. Prompto has been pretty proud of himself so far for regaining his ability to speak in full sentences without putting his foot in his mouth, but now that they're no longer walking or talking, he can feel himself growing nervous again. The two of them standing on her front porch like this is giving off a really date-y vibe all of the sudden, and it makes his stomach flop. He no longer knows what to do with his hands or what the maximum allowable amount of time is that he can hold eye contact with her before it makes him come off as weird and creepy. His glasses need to be adjusted again, too, but despite the fact that Cindy has been so unexpectedly cool about the whole thing and hasn't mentioned them even once since they'd left the motel, the blond finds that he's still reluctant to bring any more attention to them than necessary. She's gotten too much of a glimpse of all the things he'd never wanted her to see already.

Prompto's nerves get the better of him, in the end. His eyes dart away from the gorgeous mechanic in front of him to a chair off to the side, and one of his traitorous, fidgety hands immediately busies itself by pushing the glasses up the bridge of his nose. It makes him grimace as soon as he realizes what he's done. Cindy seems to pick up on his disquiet, however, and once again, she's taking up the social slack for him. Hers is really putting his own bubbly blond personae to shame.

"Paw Paw's like ta have a fit if I ever suggested it," she says with a dramatic roll of her eyes. "I can already hear 'im goin' on and on about how he ran the garage for thirty years by himself and twenty of it was spent raisin' me, too."

It's enough to pull Prompto out of his thoughts and make him smile a bit, because he can kind of hear it, too. "Yeah, I'm gonna take a stab in the dark, though, and say that your old man hasn't exactly been running it by himself for what? Probably the last ten years?"

Cindy looks surprised. "I hadn't thought'a that," she muses. Then she smiles. "But you ain't wrong. I'll have ta remember that one the next time he gets real ornery."

Prompto doesn't think that logic will go over with Cid very well, but before he can say so, she's pushing the door open and beckoning him inside after her.

"It ain't much," she cautions as the door clicks shut behind him. "I reckon you Crown City boys are used to somethin' with a bit more swank."

Prompto laughs. "You're kidding, right? You know how broke we are. We've spent the last two months sleeping either on the ground outside or in shitty motels. I don't think those three even remember what swank is like anymore, anyways."

"Oh, yeah, an' what about you?"

" _I_ am but a lowly peasant," he chirps proudly. "I never knew what it was like in the first place."

Voices drift over to them from deeper inside, and she jerks her head for him to follow her. It really is a tiny house. They're barely through the door and there's already a hallway to the left that he guesses leads to the bedrooms. It's only a short walk ahead before they're out of the living area and in the dining room doorway.

This, too, is a small room, and it's a wonder the four men inside have managed to squeeze themselves in around the table. Prompto has no idea how he and Cindy are supposed to eventually enter into the fray.

"'Bout time you made it back," Cid's gravelly voice barks from behind his fan of cards. The other three turn their attention to the two blonds standing in the doorway, and Noct's eyes widen as they swivel from Prompto to Cindy and back again.

"Well, I had to at least _try_ to coax out some more company," Cindy responds. She runs a hand down Prompto's arm in a way that he's sure is meant to be comforting, but really what it does is make his breath catch in his throat and his skin break out in goosebumps. Then she shimmies her way between Gladio's seat and the wall until she's made it over to the kitchen area. She leans down to give Cid a kiss on the cheek as she passes him, and the wrinkles around the aging man's eyes seem to smoothen ever so slightly. It occurs to Prompto that this is a side of Cindy he'd like to see more often, out of the garage and in a less professional setting. His eyes follow her to the sink, but they eventually fall back over to Noct, who is staring a hole into the side of his face in an attempt to get his attention.

The prince's mouth is drawn into a fine line as he very deliberately holds up his phone, but Prompto just stares back in confusion. Then it hits him. Throughout all the shock and panic he'd felt since Cindy had first found him, he hadn't given those ignored messages so much as a second thought. Noct looks somewhat peeved at Prompto's delayed realization, and the blond offers his friend an apologetic smile. He'll thank him for being a real bro later.

The brunet looks to where Cindy is washing out her dish and then back to Prompto, eyebrows raised. Prompto isn't really sure what's going on himself, though, so he just shrugs.

"Quit flirtin' with Blondie over there and take yer goddamn turn, son," Cid growls.

"Right," Noct manages to sigh through Gladio's snickering. Ignis is at least polite enough to hide his own smirk behind the cards in his hand.

He fidgets in the doorway, not really sure what to do with himself, but soon enough, Cindy is making her way back. She takes Prompto by the elbow when she reaches him.

"We'll be right back," she says to the table. "Don't start the next game without us." He catches a glimpse of his friends' curious faces right before she tugs him fully into the living room.

"Cindy..." Cid's voice is a low warning, but as far as Prompto can tell, his granddaughter only seems to be amused by it.

"Yeah, yeah," she chimes back with a dismissive wave. "I'll keep the door open an' everything." She leads him down the hallway by the front door, and her voice is a mixture of fondness and exasperation when she tells him, "Honestly. You'd think I was fifteen instead'a twenty-five."

Prompto just blinks. He's always known that Cindy was out of his league, but somehow this new tidbit makes him feel like the chasm between them has widened even further. He'd assumed she was older. But more like two or three years older. Five years seems like a lot when he's just barely out of his teens, and it's in what many people would consider to be the wrong direction. Not that he really cares beyond the fact that _she_ might, but still. She _might._ It could be an automatic write off, assuming, of course, that he hasn't been automatically written off already. It's enough to make him worry the inside of his cheek.

He's still trying to decide what to make of it when he realizes that she's led him into her bedroom, and if he wasn't already nervous and unsure of how to compose himself before, now he really is. It's not like he's never been in a girl's room before, but this is Cindy's own personal space. Before today Prompto's never even spent time with her when she wasn't working. Just like the rest of the place, it's tiny. Barely large enough to fit the single bed, the dresser, and the nightstand with a little bit of walking space to spare. It doesn't seem like it was meant to be a bedroom—maybe a study—but he supposes if Cid had lived here alone before taking Cindy in, it probably hadn't been meant to be.

He's anxiously tapping his fist against his thigh while he waits to find out why she's brought him here. She reaches out for the top drawer on her nightstand, stops and taps the handle a few times, then turns to look at him. She almost seems a little nervous herself when she says, "Okay, close your eyes."

"...Okay," Prompto says back, voice a bit strained. He eyes her hesitantly for a moment before letting them close. There are a few seconds of nothing, where he imagines her waving her hand in from of his face, and then his glasses are being pushed up to rest on top of his head. He cracks an eye open and squints at the yellow and orange blob standing in front of him. "Really?"

Cindy hums out a laugh and replies, "Just checkin'. Now, close 'em."

He does. And this time he can hear her fiddling with something inside the drawer, the drawer closing, something else popping open, and then an odd sound he can't quite identify.

"Alright," she says.

Prompto pulls the glasses free from his hair and puts them back on properly. The other blonde looks a little uncertain, but he can't tell that anything has changed. He's about to ask what he's missing, but his jaw clacks shut the moment she pulls her hands away from her face and forces a smile at him.

"Is that a—?"

"Yeah..."

He can't help but to smile when he asks, "You used to have braces?"

Cindy opens her mouth as if she's going to add to his words, but she stops herself short and nods, instead.

His smile dies away as soon as he realizes, "You got made fun of for them?"

"It was worse before the braces," she admits. "They were real crooked. Snaggles."

Prompto winces at what can only be a childhood nickname that haunts her even now, if the way she's holding her elbows is any indication. His own past hadn't been completely devoid of bullying, no, but for the most part he'd been ignored. If he'd been bestowed with any cruel nicknames as a kid, he was blissfully unaware. Crooked teeth or not, though, he's having a hard time understanding how anyone could ever have acted that way to her.

"I've got pictures," Cindy says to him with a shrug. "Not really sure I can bring myself to share those, though."

Suddenly, Prompto thinks there's nothing in the world he wants to see more. But he's going to have to give up something this time around. He bites his lip before coming to a decision.

"Hang on," he says, whipping his phone from his pocket and taking a seat on the edge of her bed. He can feel her do the same as he dismisses his missed notifications and scrolls through the screen. He _thinks_ he has something on here. The blond has to push the glasses up his nose yet again as he searches, but he doesn't spare the action a single thought this time around. When Prompto finally finds what he's looking for, he eyes it reluctantly, because this is it. This is what he'd been spending the entire day trying to hide. He taps his phone against his chin and lifts his eyes to meet her own curious expression. His lips curl into a slight smile, and he says, "I'll show you mine if you show me yours."

Cindy laughs at him, and he can't help but to adore the sight of that thin line of metal crossing over her front teeth. Prompto angles the phone away from his face in offering. When she finally does take it from him, there's a moment of panic where he almost snatches it back, but thankfully it passes just as quickly as it had come.

"Pardon the wardrobe," he tells her. "It was kind of a progress pic."

She blinks at the screen. "Wow," she says, her eyes flickering between it and him. "You look...different."

She's got to be trying so hard not to say the wrong thing that he laughs. "Don't feel like you have to say anything nice about it. I wouldn't believe you if you did." He scoots closer to her so that he can look at it, too. "Wanna know the sad bit? I think I was already down about thirty pounds when I took this one."

"How much did you lose?"

"Oh, I don't remember exactly. I think somewhere around eighty pounds, give or take?"

Cindy gapes at him. "That's incredible, Prompto. You should be proud of yourself. Not a lot of people have that kind of dedication."

Prompto swallows and leans back on his hands in order to put a little bit of distance between them. He hadn't realized just how closely he'd leaned in until her face had turned toward his. That combined with the way she seems to be amazed rather than disgusted with him throws his heart into a fluttering frenzy, because whenever he thinks back on it, all Prompto feels is the shame that he'd ever been that bad off to begin with. But Cindy's gone and spun it into something far more positive.

She's still staring down at the photo when she comments, "You look so sad."

"Ah, well, you know. No one really wants to hang around the fat kid with poor social skills." He tries to force a bit of cheer into his words and shrug it off like it's no big deal, but the sympathetic look Cindy casts his way says that she isn't buying into it, and it makes him squirm. Then he perks up, and a little too eagerly, he asks, "So...little Cindy?"

It turns out to be everything Prompto could hope for. He can't keep himself from gushing about how cute she was as a kid. She wasn't lying, though. In the pictures she passes him, her teeth _are_ pretty jacked up, all uneven gaps and impossibly mismatched angles. He can definitely see why she'd go on to get braces, but that young, he thinks it only enhances the adorable little girl look. Cindy doesn't look like she believes him when he tells her so, but really, that's just because the bullies got to her a long time before Prompto did. He knows how deeply scars like that can run.

It's a lot of fun getting to learn about her this way, seeing pictures of her story where she goes from a cute, albeit snaggletoothed, little kid to a shy, awkward teen who uses one of her hands to try and hide the metal affixed to her teeth in almost every picture, and then finally to a young woman who still seems uncertain about the retainer she's wearing but at least seems to have gained more confidence in herself. It hasn't escaped Prompto's notice that there's a point where the photos begin to transition from mostly being Cindy out with friends to mostly being Cindy in the garage. He knows that his camera had been how he'd dealt with his loneliness as a kid. He wonders if taking up her grandpa's trade was how she'd dealt with her own set of problems.

Prompto catches her eyeing one photo in particular with disdain, but before he can ask, she flicks it into his lap while very obviously refusing to look at him. He picks it up and stares down at it, stunned.

"No," he says in utter disbelief.

"Yeah," Cindy huffs.

"No way!"

The other blonde buries her face in her hands and groans, but Prompto puts an arm around her shoulders and pulls her into a side hug, because he feels really bad that she's so embarrassed, and he can't even wrap his mind around the fact that Cindy had once had to wear head gear.

"I cried for days when they told me I'd have to wear it, even though it was only at night."

"No kidding," he says back, rubbing his thumb over her shoulder. "I'd cry, too."

Eventually, Prompto drops the photo to the top of the pile of discards that have sprung up on the bed between them. His eyes can't help but trail after it, though, because he just loves it so damn much.

"Heh, but look at you, now! Master mechanic, running the most fantastic garage around all on your own, and the prince of Lucis and his broke ass friends owe you so many favors for the way you look after us it's not even funny! Perfect smile, too," he adds shyly before clearing his throat and exclaiming, "Those bullies can suck it!"

Cindy chuckles and pulls away so that she can gather up the scattered pictures. "Looks like someone's back to himself."

Prompto leans back against his hands again and shrugs. "I guess sometimes it helps to be reminded that you're not the only one to go through something."

The blonde looks thoughtful as she stows everything back away into its proper pouch. "That ain't a bad idea," she remarks.

"What's that?"

Cindy moves so that the two of them are hip to hip and elbows him in the stomach. "Get your phone out, Mr. Photographer."

"O-Okay," he stammers, pulse quickening at how suddenly she'd pressed her side into his own. Once he has it out, he glances at her uncertainly. "Um?"

"You gonna take a picture?"

"Of?"

She doesn't answer, just watches him in amusement. Prompto thinks about how closely they're sitting and the things they'd just shared with each other.

"Oh," he says. Then, more emphatically, as it _really_ sinks in that she wants to take a picture with him, he says, _"Ohhhh..."_

He thinks he can feel himself blushing as he pushes himself straighter and brings up the camera on his phone. Cindy has to be the only person he and the guys have come across who he hasn't been able to bring himself to take a shot of yet. He never asks for anyone else's permission before they end up on his camera roll and it's never bothered him—or his subjects, as far as he can tell—but with her, it seems creepy somehow. And something about _asking_ her permission feels like it would come across as desperate and guilty, like he couldn't be trusted to take to take a perfectly innocent picture of her without her awareness.

Prompto finally holds the phone out ahead of them, and Cindy seems to lean into him ever so slightly. He takes in a breath through his nose and tries to relax as the hand he still has resting on the bed behind him moves to settle itself behind her instead. It brings them a little bit closer, but she doesn't seem to mind. Then he looks up at the camera and smiles.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *sighs* If the guys had been there, they would have told Cindy that driving was also a total mystery to Prompto. But they weren't.


	6. Chapter 6

Noct is leaning against the hood of the Regalia, arms crossed, when Prompto arrives at the garage.

"All set?" The prince asks.

"All set," the blond confirms. His glasses have been stowed back away into the side pocket of his camera case, and the case that had housed his new set of contacts is tucked away in his pants pocket. He waves the piece of paper he's holding. "He went ahead and called it in to his buddy in Lestallum. Got his name and address here. It should all be ready for me by the time we finally get there. So how's the car?"

Noct shrugs. "Who knows? She hasn't come back out to nag at me about the way we've treated it, yet."

"Hey, don't talk about her like that!" Prompto chides. "Besides, Cindy doesn't _nag._ She—" he pauses there, uncertain of how to change it for the better, and Noct smirks at him in return. He's pretty proud of himself when he finally does come up with a suitable substitute "— _advises."_

"Isn't that what I just said?"

Prompto opens his mouth to refute his friend's words, what with, he doesn't really know, but he's distracted when the woman in question strides out of the garage, marking away at the clipboard in her hand. He can't keep a dopey grin from spreading over his face as he watches her approach them.

Cindy halts in front of Prompto, looks up from whatever it is she's scribbling down, and reaches up to pat him on the cheek. "Good ta see ya smilin' again," she tells him before she continues on over to where Ignis and Gladio stand several yards away. The younger blond swoons, and he catches sight of Noct's very exaggerated eye roll.

"Shut up," he says, voice cheerful, as he moves to stand next to the brunet. He nudges his friend in the arm. "We can't all be arranged to marry the girl of our dreams, you know. Some of us actually have to try."

At this, Noct glances over at him. He only hesitates for a moment before asking, "Do I even want to know what went on between you two last night?"

"Nothing happened, man. We just talked."

Noct looks skeptical, though, and Prompto teases, "Or have you changed your tune and decided I might actually stand a chance with her, after all?"

"Have _you?"_

The question catches Prompto off guard, because, if he's honest with himself, he doesn't know how to answer it. Of course he _wants_ to think he stands a chance, but whether or not he truly believes he does is another story altogether. His eyes flit uncertainly to where Cindy is going over whatever maintenance she'd performed on the Regalia with Ignis, but as soon as her own lift and meet them, his gaze nervously ducks away.

"I...don't know," Prompto confesses. It kind of sucks, since he remembers feeling so optimistic the night before when he'd had to urge her to keep her retainer in ("You can't cheapen the lesson here by putting it away!") and then lure her back into the kitchen for cards. They'd sat so closely then, too, and while part of it had been due to necessity, it had felt far too comfortable to be that alone. But this morning has dawned a brand new day, and last night's memories feel more like a rapidly fading dream than anything else. The next time they're in town, he'll probably be right back to square one, unable to do much more than stutter out broken sentence fragments. When he finds the courage to look up again, she's engrossed herself in the paperwork once more.

Noct hums his acknowledgement. Then he surprises Prompto by saying, "Well, that's better than outright feeling like you don't, isn't it?"

"I guess," the blond responds, but he's unconvinced.

He waits until Cindy has wished them all well and vanished back inside the building before going to his bag. He can feel Noct's eyes on him as he digs through it.

"Oh, hey!" He says as he pulls out Cindy's food container. "I almost forgot!"

Prompto grins brightly over at his friend as he tilts it side to side it between his two open palms. Noct doesn't buy his innocent act, of course, and a knowing smirk curls it's way to his lips when his sarcastic voice remarks, "Yeah, what a coincidence. She's just gone back inside. Alone."

"Cover for me a few minutes while I go return it?" Prompto lilts, his eyes pleading. "Pretty please? Oh, broiest of bros, bestest bro of mine?"

Noct snorts. "You're so ridiculous sometimes," he says fondly, clapping the blond on the shoulder as he passes by him. "I'll keep those two occupied. Go get your two minutes alone with your girlfriend."

Prompto's eyes dart over to the garage at Noct's girlfriend comment, just to make sure that Cindy hadn't come out and gotten close enough to hear it, but she's still hidden from view somewhere inside. "Aww, I only get two minutes?"

"Not everyone is as easily distractible as you are, Prompto."

"Boo. Asshole."

The prince just laughs.

Prompto fumbles with the container anxiously as he steps into the garage. He stops when he's far enough inside to be out of the guys' line of sight, but not quite far enough inside for his presence to catch Cindy's attention yet. He'd kind of wanted the chance to say goodbye to her alone, but now that he's here, he isn't sure if it'll be weird or not since she's already said her own.

The mechanic is filing some paperwork away at the far wall. She plucks another clipboard from her workbench, but before she can begin to busy herself with the new project, Prompto takes the moment to clear his throat. She spins around, startled, and her expression is concerned when she catches sight of him.

"Oh, hey, Prompto," she says. Her gaze travels to the lot beyond the open door and then back to him. "I forget somethin'?"

He smiles and shakes his head. "Nah. But I almost did."

With that, he brandishes the plastic container and holds it up in front of him. Cindy smiles, too, when she recognizes it, and her eyes follow him the entire time as he makes his way to where she stands. The attention makes his heart pound in his chest.

"Cleaned it and everything!" Prompto enthuses.

"Well, ain't you just the sweetest," the older blonde chuckles as she takes the container from him and sets it down with the papers scattered across the bench.

He stands next to her and leans against the table, tucking his thumbs in his belt. He lets out a small, wavering breath. "It really was amazing. Sorry if I made it seem otherwise after all the trouble you went through."

"It wasn't any trouble," Cindy tells him. Then she nudges his arm with her own. _"Any_ of it."

Prompto glances over at her, and her sincere smile spurs him on. "Thanks," he says, though his voice is still a little more timid than he'd hoped it would be. "For everything. It was...nice not being told I was being stupid or dramatic for once." Cindy's smile falters a bit, but he's quick to defend, "We're guys. We show our love by being total dicks to one another."

"If you say so," she offers with a shrug. "Remember they ain't yer only friends, though. You know how ta reach me if you need someone else to talk to."

It makes Prompto grin, because if that isn't an invitation for him to call her, he doesn't know what is. He might be the last of them to actually get her number into his phone, but he knows he's the first one to get it on personal terms rather than business terms. Or by just-stealing-it-from-Noct's-phone terms ("Wouldn't that be creepy?" He'd asked after admitting he didn't have her number. But Cindy had only laughed before taking his phone out of his hands and sending the picture to herself. "You worry too much," she'd told him.). She's right, but he thinks he prefers it working out this way.

Feeling lighter than he had even a minute ago, Prompto asks her, "So what'll it take to get Ignis a copy of ol' Maw Maw's legendary recipe, in the end, huh? That is, if he hasn't already started trying to pick it apart on his own."

Cindy taps a finger to her lips in thought a couple of times. "Well," she begins slowly, "I _would_ like to see the old girl brought back in one piece more often. Do that a few more times and maybe we can start talkin'."

He gawks, because almost everything has to do with the Regalia when it comes to her and the four of them. Prompto kind of can't help but to adore her for it anyways, though, and he's unable to keep the fondness out of his voice when he asks, "Are you _ever_ going to like us as much as the car?"

When Cindy sits back against the workbench and smiles up at him, her eyes are shining. "Who says I don't?"

Prompto doesn't even turn away to hide the broad grin that splits across his face, because now he really does feel like he has a proper answer to Noct's question.

 

* * *

 

"What're you looking at?"

Prompto looks up from his phone and over to Noct. They're both sitting in the back this time, which doesn't happen very often and gets a little cramped with how far back Gladio has to push the passenger seat, but it's a nice change every now and then.

Well. He actually thinks it may be the older man's form of retaliation for when Prompto had made Noct stop the car too quickly yesterday. He feels like he has less leg room than he usually does when they end up this way. But he is way too happy this morning to complain about it.

"Oh. Um," he answers, his eyes falling back down to the picture of him and Cindy that he hadn't been able to keep himself from staring at since they'd pulled out of Hammerhead. "It's just..." He taps the edge of his phone while he debates whether or not it's something he should share. But what the hell. It's just Noct. It's not like he hadn't had the opportunity to notice it last night. So Prompto's cheeks pull into yet another impossibly wide grin, and he shoves the screen into his best friend's face. "I finally got my picture!" He gushes ecstatically.

It's so close that Noct has to move back and blink a few times before he finally takes it. When he gets a proper look, he squints and says, "Is she wearing a—?"

"Yup! I did tell her you wouldn't even notice."

"The retainer?" Ignis speaks up.

The blond hums in affirmation, and he moves up to the gap between the two front seats, resting an elbow on each.

"Kind of cute, wasn't it?" Gladio adds, though he's still gazing down at the book in his lap and doesn't look like he's really paying attention.

"I imagine that was what elevated your mood so drastically? You seemed to be unduly—"

"Cozy?" Gladio offers.

"— _relaxed_ ," Ignis finishes. "Although, that also works."

"Good thing you two finally came back when you did. Cid was looking kinda antsy. Who knows what would have happened if he'd had to drag you back himself?"

"Aw, I didn't know you cared, big guy."

"I don't," Gladio assures him as he flips a page. "Personally, I already miss the peace and quiet we had during your sulking fit yesterday. Iggy's just being polite."

"I didn't even start talking until a minute ago," Prompto huffs.

"Yeah..." Gladio says, following the word with a wistful sigh.

An indignant whine escapes Prompto's throat, and he scowls. Well, fine, if that's what he wants.

"Well, if you _must_ know," the blond spouts as obnoxiously as he can, and he feels pretty satisfied at the irritated look that pops up on the shield's face, "Cindy and I had a moment."

He throws himself backward into his cramped little corner of the Regalia, and is getting ready to start up a very long, very rambling, very _annoying_ declaration of love and devotion for his grease monkey goddess, but Gladio beats him to the punch. He let's out a derisive snort and says, "Only lasted for a moment, did it? Guess I'm not all that surprised with you, though. Poor Cindy."

"H-Hey!" Prompto splutters, and he can feel his face and neck burn in response to Gladio's uncanny ability to turn practically anything and everything into an innuendo of some kind. He usually finds it hilarious. It's _usually_ aimed towards Noct. "I-I w-wouldn't...Th-That's not what—" But even if he could talk, every word he tries to speak is being drown out by laughter.

Once the snickering dies down a bit and Prompto feels slightly less embarrassed, he digs his knee into the back of the seat in front of him, much to its passenger's displeasure. "Don't turn it into something crude," he admonishes. "It wasn't like that. We just discovered that we had more in common than we thought."

"What, you mean other than being blond?" Noct quips, eyes glinting in amusement.

"Or your bubbly dispositions?" Ignis adds, his voice equally humorous.

Prompto sighs. Those are all his fault, really, for having once told the guys that he and Cindy matched. He hadn't planned on them calling him out on it, though, and he hadn't had all that much to work with, either. He really _had_ said those things. He can only imagine what Gladio will inject into the mix.

"Or that you _both_ have vaginas?"

It sets the other two off again, and Prompto crams his knee into what he hopes is Gladio's lower back. He probably should have expected it when the seat falls back on him and smooshes him into the cushy, leather interior.

"Ah, that's better," Gladio remarks gleefully.

"Ow! Ignis! Noct! He's _crush_ ing me!"

He tries to shove against the seat, but it's no use. Neither it nor the beast-man occupying it are going anywhere.

"Gladio, please," Ignis begins in an exasperated tone that suggests he might be rubbing a hand at his temples. "We've a long drive ahead of us, and it's barely just begun."

"Yeah, Gladio, you're gonna ruin the car."

The blond stops his flailing long enough to cast betrayed eyes at Noct. "Really? That's where you're going with it? No 'You're killing my BFF.'? It's all about the car?"

"You're not dying," the prince points out.

"But I _am_ ," Prompto protests with one final, helpless push. "And everyone I love loves the damn car more!"

Noct just shakes his head, because he probably realizes that the blond's outburst really isn't something to be taken seriously, and the action is followed by a silence where Gladio still doesn't righten his seat and Prompto no longer fights against it. He thinks he hears another page turn.

"Really, though, guys," Prompto says, and now he's prodding Gladio everywhere he can reach in the hopes that he gets fed up with it and lets him free. Bonus points if he doesn't decide to break the younger man's fingers in the process. "This is starting to get super uncomfortable."

It takes a few more pokes, but eventually Gladio relents and raises the seat, and Prompto glowers at him through the headrest. He just wants to go back to admiring his one _nice_ friend—slash-hopefully-one-day-maybe-girlfriend—but his newly relegated _ex_ best friend still has his phone and says, "More in common than you thought, huh?"

At first, Prompto thinks he's being made fun of again. He's about to snatch his phone back and turn his glower onto Noct, but the brunet is studying the screen with a thoughtful expression. He seems to decide on something, too, because he nods before he passes it over to the blond.

"You know," Noct begins, and he looks kind of resigned, like he can't believe he's actually saying it. "You guys do kind of match."

Prompto mentally reinstates Noct to his previous best friend status and forgives all past transgressions. It really is about time that someone else noticed.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And it's done! 
> 
> Again! :D
> 
> Thanks for reading!

**Author's Note:**

> Oh geeze...I was going to just put up as many of the chapters as I could before I had to leave for work tonight, but re-italicizing's going to be quite the buttface... D:>


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